Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Melting Runway

A Friend emailed me this story. I'm not sure where it came from, but I take zero credit other than sharing the story.

Australia’s frozen Antarctic runway is melting

Australian scientists have discovered the perils of
creating a multi-million dollar frozen runway in Antarctica – the
airstrip is melting.

A melting surface has started to restrict the use of

Australia's purpose-built Wilkins glacial runway in Antarctica

The government’s Antarctic research agency is
searching for an alternative aircraft landing site for planes supplying
Australia’s three bases on the frozen continent after the Aus$45 million
(£29 million) Wilkins runway began to disappear due to unexpected
surface melt.

Australia has three stations on the icy continent -
Casey, Davis and Mawson - occupied during summer months by dozens of
scientists and support staff, and the Wilkins runway, which was carved
into 500m of glacial blue ice four years ago, provides a vital transport
link.

The 4km (2.5 miles)-long runway, located near
Australia’s Casey station, about 3400kmsouth-west of Tasmania off the
Australian mainland, was hailed when it was opened by then Environment
Minister Peter Garrett in 2008 as revolutionizing the country’s
scientific research capabilities.

However a melting surface has started to restrict
use of the landing strip and the Australian Antarctic Division has
announced they are now looking at alternatives for fixed-wing aircraft.

Other options being investigated by the organization
include building a more expensive rock runway on the ice-free Vestfold
Hills near the Davis station.

Penguins congregate on an ice floe near the runway on Wilkes Land,

near where the Wilkins Runway is located

“During the first few years since the introduction
of Australia’s airlink to Antarctica in 2007/08 our operations have, on
occasions, been hampered by glacial melt at the current Wilkins runway,”
a spokesperson said earlier today.

“The Australian Antarctic Division will investigate a
range of alternative or additional landing sites for fixed-wing
aircraft near our three stations in Antarctica.”

Meteorological stations have shown a temperature
rise of 2 degrees Celsius in the past 50 years in the Antarctic
peninsula, which is roughly triple that of the global temperature rise.
Planes can only land if the temperature is below minus 5 degrees
Celsius.

The Wilkins Runway is operated by Australia on Wilkes Land, in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

It was initially predicted by the Australian
Antarctic Division to provide 20-30 flights from Hobart each summer
season, however only two flights were able to land over the 2010/11
season due to the runway being closed from December to February because
of the melt. Four landed last season and six are planned this year.

The Australian bases are also serviced by ship but
the journey can take up to two weeks, compared to the 4.5 hour flight
from Hobart in Tasmania.

The US operates three runways in Antarctica,
including an ice runway near the McMurdo Station which is constructed at
the start of each summer season and is capable of handling wheeled
aircraft.

14 comments:

A great story, Karlene and thanks for sharing it. Yes, this is important! If the frigging runway melts or is covered with inches of standing melt water, where does one land? I wonder what the braking efficiency tables look like for an ice runway, possibly covered with water. Does it get any slicker? Perhaps the procedure is to land, use reversers if possible and set the auto brake to negative one and hope that the wheels will spin up. Does t he Airbus have an auto brake setting called Slip & Slide? I'm glad that the runway is 4.2Km long... Regards, -C.

Oh yes. I have to believe that the warming trend (while mostly natural) is a very real thing. In the everyday world, I cannot think of a slicker surface that ice, covered with a thin layer of water. There is nothing for the tires to hang onto. Your reversers may help for a while, but once below rudder authority speed, I think you'd better hope for zero wind and an exceptionally long runway. Or toss out some anchors, equal drag bilaterally, of course. What an awful scenario for a pilot.

I know! Can you imagine. The momentum of that plane. No... nothing slicker. I'm going to ask the question during recurrent of what chart we use. lol. Zero wind for sure. Unless it's right on the nose and a cushion of air.

Actually, I drive a Hynadi. Gets great gas milage. Sold the Tahoe last summer because the I couldnt drive past a gas station.

I saw a interview with Ted Turner's son the other night. Ted drives his Prius to the airport before he gets on the private jet. His excuse is that his carbon footprint is still small because he has lots of trees.

Well.. I seriously walk... and when I have to take the babies, the big car. But other than that the little Mitsubishi. And I have trees. I love trees. I will not cut trees. So we all justify... even Ted. I wonder if he jet pools.